This invention relates to a device for practicing tennis strokes with a regular tennis racket. An object of this invention is to provide means for practicing tennis strokes, especially in limited indoor space such as a standard living room or basement.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device as described which is constructed with a very few and simple parts, is very easy to install and is yet a device which brings to perfection many elements necessary for a good tennis play such as quick response, strong grip, striking with the correct spot of a tennis racket, etc.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device which corrects strokes performed in a wrong way, e.g., off center of a tennis racket.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device which, while training the proper technique, results in conditioning and exercising at the same time of the particular group of muscles used during a regular tennis game, which due to a considerable physical effort, is necessary for a proper use of the device.
In the past, such devices have been made very often with regular, inflated tennis ball having strong bounce required and desirable for regular outdoor tennis game. Such balls were very difficult to control when used for indoor tennis training devices.
It has been found, surprisingly, that when regular tennis ball is perforated and depressurized, such a ball shows a number of new qualities particularly useful for limited space training devices. The bounce is subdued yet ball saves all other tennis ball features such as weight, size, appearance etc. Air motion in and out of the perforated ball takes a lot of impact energy and that diminishes uncontrolable bounce yet requires more of physical effort to keep ball in constant oscillation.